Bill Donohue to March in NYC Pride Parade: ’Straight is Great!’

Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, is not happy that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh sat out their city's St. Patrick's Day Parade events because organizers refused to allow LGBT people to openly march. He's also miffed that beer companies like Guinness and Sam Adams withdrew sponsorship from the New York City and Boston parades, respectively.

His response? He's applied to march in the New York City Gay Pride Parade, held June 29, while carrying a banner that reads, "Straight is Great!"

As the Huffington Post reports, Donohue, who opposes same-sex marriage, spoke with conservative talk show host Steve Malzberg Wednesday and said that if organizers of New York City's Gay Pride Parade deny him an application then apparently the entire LGBT community will be nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites.

"Are they going to let me do it or not? I'm waiting to see what they want to say," Donohue said.

He then said that event organizers require participants to hold pro-LGBT signs.

"All right, you can disagree with their rules, but that's their parade," he continued. "Why don't they respect us when it comes to the St. Patrick's Day Parade?"

And it looks like Donohue is going to get his wish after all. HuffPo obtained a statement by David Studinski, March Director of NYC Pride.

"Mr. Donohue and his group are free to participate in the 2014 March," he said."His group's presence affirms the need for this year's Pride theme, 'We Have Won When We're One.' Straight is great - as long as there's no hate."

"Straight allies are great," added NYC Pride managing director Chris Federick. "We have thousands of straight people participating in the Pride March, including Catholic groups, who support LGBT youth, families and married couples."

Even GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis welcomes Donohue to march in the parade.

"As a fellow Irish New Yorker, I'm hoping Bill will march with me at NYC Pride. I look forward to the day when I can march openly with Bill in the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade, and not be turned away because of who I am," she said in a statement.

Though NYC Pride officials praise straight allies, unless Donohue changes his tune in the next few months, he is anything but. Donohue has called the LGBT community sexual deviants and has been criticized for his lack of sensitivity towards victims of priest sexual abuse and victims of bullying.

Officials from popular Irish dry stout maker Guinness announced Saturday that they are pulling sponsorship of New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade because participants aren’t allowed to openly march as LGBT people.